Marilyn Ruth Blake

Marilyn Ruth Blake (nee Farrington) was born July 11, 1927 to Earl and Florence Farrington in Syracuse, New York, joining older brother Stewart and preceding younger brother Edward. Marilyn grew up in Syracuse, graduating from The Valley Academy in 1945, then was recruited to work at the Bell Telephone Co. While swimming at Green Lakes Park that summer, a brash young man, James Blake, chatted her up and asked for her phone number. She declined his forward advances, but her cousin (who thought he looked all right) slipped him her number, and she did relent and go on a date with him – but only after she insisted he come to her house and meet her WWI-veteran father, who, as the story goes, grilled him a bit. After a few dates and a few weeks, James went off to Europe in the Army and Marilyn had adventures in working and dating until he returned in December 1946 and again called on her. They married Sept. 6, 1947 and enjoyed 75 years of shared love and life. Marilyn died on March 30, 2023 in Dayton, Ohio, with Jim at her side after a year of declining health.

Marilyn and Jim lived in Syracuse, New York; New York City; Ramsey, New Jersey; Northbrook, Illinois; Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Marlow, England., and Chepstow, Wales, before retiring to Sea Pines at Hilton Head, South Carolina. They enjoyed 30 years of club life, playing golf and tennis, swimming and traveling, before the aging process caught up with them and their children felt they needed to live closer to family. Marilyn was an accomplished woman, skilled in tailoring and sewing, cooking gourmet meals, and creating a beautiful and reliable home wherever James' career took them. She was athletic (and competitive) and excelled at golf and tennis and paddle ball, as well as enjoying skiing and swimming. And among the loves of her life (besides her husband and children, grand and great-grandchildren) were her many dogs. She had a beagle, a schnauzer, three Welch terriers and a rescue mutt she adored. In fact, it was only when she became too frail to care for a dog that she finally relented to move from Hilton Head to be closer to family.

To mourn her memory, Marilyn leaves her husband James, daughter Carol Boyd (Peter); son Edward Blake (Karin Spicer); and grandchildren Gregory Boyd (Katharine), Michael Boyd (Elizabeth Byron) and Jordan Blake (Alex Cruz). She also leaves great-grandchildren Luke Byron Boyd, Brielle E. Boyd and Henry Boyd. Services and burial are private. Remembrances may be directed to Abby's Nook, at Miami Valley Hospital 31 Wyoming Street, Dayton, Ohio 45409.